Bartlett Robinson

Bartlett Robinson was an American actor who worked in theater, radio, film, and television. He portrayed Perry Mason on radio in 1943 and was a regular cast member of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" and other radio serials such as "The Romance of Helen Trent" and "Mary Noble, Backstage Wife." He also appeared in films and television shows, including "Sleeper" and "The Spirit of St. Louis".

In 1943 he was the first actor of several performers who provided the voice of the title character on the radio version of Perry Mason. Later, as a character actor in films and on television, he was often cast in roles of authority figures, such as military officers, wealthy ranchers, corporate executives, doctors, and judges. Robinson appeared in 21 films from 1956 to 1973 and in over 110 television productions between 1949 and 1982. He was also credited as Bart Robinson.

Bartlett Robinson was born in Manhattan, New York, on December 9, 1912. He began his career in entertainment in 1933 when he and his friends formed a performance group called the "Sunday Players," who later drove across country together to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of finding steady work. There Robinson subsequently got a job in the city at radio station KFI. For the remainder of the 1930s and into the 1940s, Robinson traveled back and forth between New York and Los Angeles to take parts in both stage and radio productions.

He appeared in many popular radio programs, including "The Romance of Helen Trent," "Mary Noble," "Backstage Wife," "Valiant Lady," and "Young Dr. Malone."

His career spanned from his early work in theater in New York in 1933 to his later work in films and television in California. He appeared in over 20 films and more than 100 television productions, often playing authority figures such as doctors, judges, and executives. He appeared in films such as "I Want to Live!" and "The Fortune Cookie." He also starred in television series such as "Perry Mason," "Mona McCluskey," and "Wendy and Me."

Robinson married Margaret Whitney Ballantine in 1938. They had two children and divorced in 1971. They later remarried, a union that lasted until 1986 when Barlett died at his home in Fallbrook, California, at age 73, on March 26, 1986.